The structural response of cylindrical shells to internal shock loading

The internal shock loading of cylindrical shells can be represented as a step load advancing at constant speed. Several analytical models are available to calculate the structural response of shells to this type of loading. These models show that the speed of the shock wave is an important parameter. In fact, for a linear model of a shell of in¯nite length, the amplitude of the radial de°ection becomes unbounded when the speed of the shock wave is equal to a critical velocity. It is evident that simple (static) design formulas are no longer accurate in this case. The present paper deals with a numerical and experimental study on the structural response of a thin aluminum cylindrical shell to shock loading. Transient ¯nite element calculations were carried out for a range of shock speeds